In A Historic Move, The Assam Tea Body Has Secured May Day Wages For Temporary Garden Workers.

Dibrugarh; April 2026: As reported – all these years temporary workers of the tea gardens of Assam state were deprived of their daily wages even on a ‘May Day Holiday’. In a breakthrough for temporary tea garden workers in Assam, the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS has achieved a major success by securing May Day wages for casual labourers, marking what the union leaders describe as a ‘historic milestone’.

The development came following a dispute resolution meeting held at the office of the Assistant Labour Commissioner in Tinsukia. The meeting addressed long-standing grievances of temporary workers employed under MK Tea Export Limited, specifically in the Daimukhia tea estate (recently renamed Roseberry tea estate) under the Doomdooma constituency and the Baghjan tea estate under the Makum constituency, according to Israil Nanda, general secretary, ACMS and senior vice-president, National Front of Indian Trade Unions. Israil Nanda is affiliated with the Republican Party of India (Athawale) contesting the Assam Assembly Election 2026, from Tinsukia constituency.

For years, temporary tea workers had been excluded from receiving wages for May 1 (International Workers’ Day), even during official closures. However, after sustained protests and continuous efforts by the Union over the past year, the management of Baghjan Tea Estate has now agreed to pay the pending May Day wages for 2025 within the next one and a half months.

Union representatives hailed the outcome as a landmark achievement, noting that this is the first time such workers will receive compensation for the holiday. They credited persistent advocacy and collective action for the success. The union also acknowledged the impartial role played by the Assistant Labour Commissioner of Tinsukia, whose intervention ensured that justice was delivered to the affected workers.

The meeting was attended by representatives from estate management, members of the tea workers’ association, and key union leaders, including ATLU General Secretary Izrail Nanda, along with Garden Unit President Binanda Nanda and Secretary Bilap Nanda.

ACMS general secretary said that the decision is expected to set a precedent for similar cases across the region, offering renewed hope to thousands of temporary tea workers seeking fair treatment and labour rights.

Team Maverick.